Date:19.04.

2015

PMK Founder Dr. S. Ramadoss Statement

Mekedatu dam in 8 months:

What is TN Govt going to do?
The Kannada organizations in Karnataka with the indirect help of the State Government had
successfully conducted a one day bandh condemning the opposition of the people of Tamil Nadu for
the proposed dam across river Cauvery at Mekedatu. The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr.
Siddharamaiah had praised the bandh and also congratulated them.
This bandh was in response to the demonstration held in Tamil Nadu on March 28thby various
political parties except those ruling in the state and centre and farmers associations against the
Mekedatu dam. The Tamil Nadu demonstration was not totally successful because the state
Government did not endorse it whereas the Karnataka demonstration was a huge success due to the
State Governments backing. This epitomizes the differences in the ways the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
state governments approach the Cauvery issue. Thought Cauvery issue is a serious livelihood issue for
Tamil Nadu the ruling party and the state Government seem to have other serious problems and
hence they do not want to agitate against the Karnataka Government. To ensure that the agitation by
the Farmers association did not succeed the Tamil Nadu State Government arrested large numbers of
farmers and ensured that the agitation did not make any mark. At the same time to feign that it is still
friendly to the farmers the Government postponed the Assembly session and sent a team of MPs to
Delhi. The BJP ruling at the centre just said that it would not encourage such agitations and stayed
away from the issue.
But the situation in Karnataka is different. The Karnataka State Government did not bother who
was organising the bandh. Instead the Government saw this an opportunity to express the feelings of
the people of the state and indirectly helped the bandh by stopping buses and ensured that the
bandh was a grand success. The Karnataka BJP did not wash its hands like their counterpart in Tamil
Nadu. Instated it announced openly that it will support the demonstration.
Mekedatu dam construction will seriously hurt Tamil Nadu. There is a rationale in Tamil Nadus
agitations. But the aggression of the Karnataka Government, which is actually depriving Tamil Nadus
genuine water rights is a lesson for the Tamil Nadu Government and political parties. The Chief Minister

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of Karnataka further received memoranda from the agitating Kannada associations and announced
that once the detailed project report was ready, the construction would commence by the end of this
year and no one can stop.
He also said that he will lead an all-party delegation and meet the Prime Minster on the 22nd of this
month to pressurize the Central Government. Ha said that he had also written a letter to the Prime
Minister. This cannot be ignored. It is understood that the State Government has allotted Rs. 25 Crore
in the current budget for preparing the DPR and had initiated efforts to build the dam in full swing.
But the Tamil Nadu state government appears to be totally oblivious and unperturbed by this. The
primary priority of the Chief Minister and the State Ministers appear to be to which temple to go
today, where to go lift Kavadi, which temple to prostrate. This is very disturbing. It is the irresponsible,
careless attitude of the Tamil Nadu Government in the 70s that let the Karnataka build four huge
dams across the tributaries of Cauvery including Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathi. Tamil Nadu should
not get cheated again.
It is important that the political parties in Tamil Nadu forget thier political differences unite under
one umbrella for this issue. As I had been insisting always the Tamil Nadu State Government should
convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Mekedatu dam issue. A resolution must be passed in that
meeting about the issue and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should lead an all-party delegation with
all political party leaders and meet the Prime Minister and present the demands of Tamil Nadu. The
ruling BJP needs the support of the MPs of AIADMK and DMK for passing many bills in Rajya Sabha.
Hence AIADMK and DMK should announce that support in the upper house can be extended only if
the illegal construction of Dam at Mekedatu is stopped. This way the danger of converting Cauvery
delta districts in to a desert can be prevented.
Yours,

(Dr. S.Ramadoss)